Opposites Attract
by KatLover4ever
Summary: This story is a collection of one-shots based on the prompts for Zutara Month 2012. This will be mainly in Katara's POV, unless said otherwise. My first story on here, so I hope you like it. Rating is just in case.
1. Chapter 1 - Relief

This was all my fault. If I hadn't walked out from where I was hiding, none of this would have ever happened. I had come out in case Zuko needed back up with Azula's lightning, but she had seen me and shot it at me. I didn't know how to react, so I just stood there and watched it come towards me. I thought my life was over, until Zuko jumped in front of it, sacrificing himself for me. I kept trying to go heal him, but Azula kept firing at me, making sure I didn't reach him. I kept running and trying to attack her, but my attacks kept missing her. Then I saw some chains, and used that against her. She was just about to shoot lightning at me when I made all the water from the grate below come up above us and turn into ice. I chained her down, released the water, and ran to help Zuko.

Now, I was fervently trying to heal him. I had experienced this once before, with Jet. But the Freedom Fighter had been hit by a rock from Long Feng. Zuko's was worse. I didn't want to lose him, too. I kept trying to heal him. Finally, I heard a groan. I turned and saw Zuko had his eyes open. He was okay. I smiled with relief.

"Thank you, Katara." he said hoarsely. Tears started forming in my eyes at seeing him recovering.

"I think I'm the one who should be thanking you." I replied, the tears streaming down my cheeks. He was okay, and he would live for a while longer.


	2. Chapter 2 - Luminous

I woke up early one morning to the sound of someone yelling. I quickly got up and followed the sound, which lead me to my window. I looked out to see Zuko practicing his firebending. The dawn light made the scene beautiful by itself, but seeing Zuko firebending was even more so. He was creating spirals and shooting them up into the air. I watched as the orange fire mixed with the pink sky, and then the fire splitting apart and fading, like a firework after it has done its job. I smiled at the amazing view, and watched the master firebender practice until breakfast time, enjoying the relaxation and calmness. Yes, the view was very luminous.


	3. Chapter 3 - Potential

Zuko woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of some splashing water. He put his robe on and walked outside to see what all the commotion was. As he opened the door to the palace, he noticed a brown-skinned girl waterbending around the river, and recognized the girl as Katara. He quickly ran behind a tree so she couldn't see him, but peeked out from behind it so he could see her. He watched as she brought up a big wave of water and turned it into ice. She moved in a way as to make a sphere, then unfroze and released it, letting it flow with the river again. Her next trick was even more impressive. She took a deep breath before bringing some strands of water up, circling around her body. Keeping the water circling around her, she grabbed some more water and lifted herself up in a water spout, bringing the circling water that she had before up above her head and keeping them both moving. Zuko had seen enough. He smiled and walked back into the building to his room. 'She has the potential of becoming the best waterbender in the world, and a great mother', he thought as he drifted back to sleep, the splashing of the water now soothing to his ears.


	4. Chapter 4 - Change

I was pacing around the catacombs, waiting for Aang, Sokka, or Toph to come rescue me. I had to warn the three that Azula, Ty Lee, Mai, and Zuko were here in Ba Sing Se. I had gone to the Earth King's throne room first, seeing that the Kyoshi Warriors were there. I told them that Zuko was in the city, thinking they were Suki and her companions. But when the leader spoke, I realized it was Azula. Ty Lee attacked me before I had time to prepare myself, and then they threw me in here.

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard some earth move. I looked up to see two Dai Li agents holding a boy captive.

"You have company." One of them said, before they tossed the boy down. I recognized him as soon as he stopped tumbling.

"Zuko!" I exclaimed, astonished. My expression quickly turned to anger.

"Why did they throw you in hear?" I yelled. He had his back turned to me, and had said nothing. "Oh, wait, let me guess. It's a trap. So that when Aang shows up to help me, you can finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches!" He turned his head to look at me, but then looked down. I continued my rant. "You're a terrible person! You know that? Always following us! Hunting the Avatar! Trying to capture the world's last hope for peace! But what do you care? You're the Fire Lord's son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood!"

"You don't know what you're talking about!" he retorted.

"I don't!" I said angrily. "How dare you? You have no idea what this war has put me through. Me personally!" I turned and sat on the ground, touching my necklace as tears streamed down my face. "The Fire Nation took my mother away from me."

"I'm sorry." he said, sounding sympathetic. "That's something we have in common." I quickly stopped crying and turned around to see he actually was being sympathetic. I wiped the tear away and stood up. He did the same.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier." I said.

"It doesn't matter." he replied, not meeting my gaze.

"It's just that for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face." I admitted.

"My face?" he said, touching his scar. "I see."

"No, no, that's not what I mean." I corrected lightly, walking a little bit closer to him.

"It's okay." he interrupted. "I used to think this scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark."

I realized with a start something I never expected: he had changed.


	5. Chapter 5 - Serenade

"Are you sure about this, Uncle?" Zuko asked.

"Of course. Music is the best way to win a woman's heart." Iroh replied. Zuko knew his uncle always gave good advice, but he wasn't so sure he liked this idea.

"Alright. I'll do it." Zuko reluctantly said. Iroh smiled and handed his nephew a tsungi horn. Zuko took it up to his room and sat next to the open window. Katara was outside doing something, so he figured now would probably be the perfect time. He picked the instrument up, put his mouth on the mouthpiece, and began to play a little song. He made sure it was a sweet and calm tune, nothing too harsh or upbeat. As Zuko continued to play, he watched as Katara stopped what she was doing and looked up to the source of the music. He watched her smile at him, and, knowing that she was enjoying the music, he closed his eyes and continued to play. Before he knew it, Katara had run up to his room and was sitting next to him.

"That was very lovely, Zuko." she said, before resting her head on his chest. Zuko stopped playing and put the instrument down before twisting her hair in his fingers.

"You really think so?" he asked. She looked up at him sweetly.

"Yes, Zuko. It was the sweetest music I've heard in awhile." she replied, before leaning in to give him a passionate kiss.

'Thank you, Uncle.' Zuko said to himself, before falling asleep with his girlfriend right beside him.


	6. Chapter 6 - Desired

"Okay. Today's a very special day for Katara's - it's her twenty-first birthday. Now, I know some of you don't like her, but please try to make this the best day of her life." Zuko said gently.

"We'll try our best." Azula replied. Zuko thought he heard a hint of mockery in her voice.

"That doesn't mean kill her." he said, giving a cold stare to his younger sister. He wasn't worried about the other three - they all either liked Katara too much to want to kill her, or couldn't do anything about it.

"Oh, Zuko. That's so sweet." his mother said. Zuko smiled. He had not seen his mother for many years before, but it had only been a few months ago - on Zuko's birthday - when he and Katara had set out to find her. Now, he couldn't imagine losing her again.

"I think it's a weak idea." his father groaned.

"Ozai! What happened to you after you banished me?" Ursa asked. "You're not the man I remember - certainly not the one I married."

"Your son is a coward! He had the Avatar in his clutches multiple times during the war, and yet he failed to bring him back to me!" Ozai said angrily.

Ursa looked disbelievingly at Ozai, and then turned back to Zuko.

"I'm sorry. We'll try our best to make this day extra-special for Katara." she said. "What do you plan on doing for her?"

"Well first, I want to bake a cake, with both orange and blue frosting, to represent my fire and her water. Then, I want to hold a feast for her, to show how much I care for her. After dinner, I'm going to take her up to our room and ask her a very important question." Zuko explained.

"And what question is that?" his mother asked.

"I can't tell you. I don't want rumors to spread around or anything." he replied. Ursa nodded her head in understanding.

"So how can we help?" Azula asked.

"Alright. Here's what we're going to do." Zuko said.

When Katara got home, she was a little surprised to see the house was so neat and decorative. Then she remembered what today was.

"Zuko?" she called, looking around for him. Hearing his wife's voice, he stepped out from the living room and walked over to her.

"Happy birthday, Katara." he said, before giving her a kiss.

"Oh, Zuko. You didn't have to do all of this." Katara said.

"Oh, yes I did." Zuko replied. "Come on. It's dinner time."

The dinner party went smoother than Zuko expected, which was nice. Now was the time for the big question.

"Come on, Katara. I have something to ask you. Privately." Zuko said. Katara gave him a suspicious look, but then nodded and walked over to her husband. He grabbed her hand and walked with her down the long hallway and up the stairs to their master bedroom. He lay down on the bed and, as soon as she lay down next to him, held her close to his chest.

"What is it you desire?" he whispered. She looked up at him, astonished, then smiled and lay back down.

"I want nothing more than a healthy family with you by my side forever." she whispered back. Zuko smiled and put his hand on her slightly round belly. Her desire would soon come true.


	7. Chapter 7 - Pride

I watched him leave with Aang the first time. He had so much pride in capturing the Avatar, just so he could go back home. My brother and I rescued him from the banished prince, but the firebender still tried to take Aang. The teenager was filled with so much pride. He thought that just bribing me with my mother's necklace would be enough to get what he wanted. But his pride in capturing the Avatar started to lessen as time went on. Soon, instead of capturing the Avatar, he decided to train the Avatar to help defeat the Fire Lord.

Now, he was sitting on the couch with Ursa, our firstborn daughter. I watched as he sweetly caressed the princess. Now we both had a new pride - a good kind of pride. The pride of having a wonderful family. I know that from now on, destiny will be on our side, and hopefully peace will be kept for a while longer.

(Sorry this is short. I couldn't think of anything else. :P)


	8. Chapter 8 - Prejudice

Zuko had heard this lecture before: back in Ba Sing Se. Her prejudice about him. But this time, it was worse. They were actually boyfriend and girlfriend. But Zuko had said something hurtful, and Katara was ranting about how being evil was in his blood, because his father had been the former Fire Lord.

"You are so arrogant, selfish, and spoiled. You're a terrible person!" she yelled.

"Katara, please, stop." Zuko said, grabbing her hand. But she quickly withdrew it.

"No! I won't stop! I won't stop until you understand what is going on here!" she said.

"Katara, I do understand!" Zuko said, his tone getting a little louder because of irritation and annoyance. "I'm not the type of person you think I am! Maybe I was three years ago, but not now!"

"Oh, yeah? When was the last time you did something for someone besides yourself ever since you became Fire Lord?" she asked. Zuko hesitated and thought about her question.

"I've done birthday parties for you every year! I've gone somewhere that you want to go for our dates. I've done many selfless things, Katara." he replied.

"Well, when was the last time you didn't get what you wanted?" she retorted.

"Just last week, actually." Zuko answered. "When I couldn't get a new robe because I was saving the money for our date the next day."

Katara stopped and looked at him, her gaze turning sympathetic. "You mean you gave up buying a new robe, just for me?" she asked.

"Yes, Katara." Zuko replied. "I've done so for all our dates. I always make sure to put you first."

Katara relaxed. "I'm sorry about my prejudice. I guess I should have asked you those questions before I yelled at you."

"It's okay." Zuko replied, and then went over to hug Katara. She accepted it, and kissed him on the cheek.

(Okay. This one was a little bit harder to write than I anticipated. But, I hope you all still like it!)


	9. Chapter 9 - Sublime

I sat on the couch, slouched over, watching a model show when Sokka came in.

"Katara, you're the Fire Lady. What do you think Zuko would say if he saw you like that?" he asked.

"Oh Sokka, stop being over-dramatic. Just because I'm the ire Lady doesn't mean that I can't slouch around at times." I replied.

Sokka grunted. "I bet you couldn't even act like a Fire Lady for a whole day." he replied, smirking.

"Alright. You're on!" I said, and then sat up straight. I heard the palace doors open and close.

"Kat, I'm home." I recognized that voice. It was Zuko.

"We'll just see about that challenge of yours." I whispered to Sokka, before walking out of the living room.

"Welcome back, Your Majesty." I greeted, doing a slight curtsy.

"Are you okay?" the Fire Lord asked.

"Of course. Why shouldn't I be, when the most handsome man in the world is right beside me?" I asked, smiling.

"Something's off about you." he said, giving me a suspicious look. He looked behind me and then turned back to me and nodded in understanding. "What was the deal this time?" he asked.

"To act like a Fire Lady for a whole day." I replied, standing as straight as possible. "Sokka, could you please go get two glasses of water?"

My brother opened his mouth, as if to argue, but quickly closed it, knowing it would be no use. He bowed and ran to the kitchen. I smiled and looked up at Zuko. The moment of peace was broken when Suki and Toph came downstairs. They started walking past me, heading for the door.

"Good evening, ladies. Where are you off too so late?" I asked, trying to be as lady-like as possible. Suki turned around and glanced knowingly at me.

"What was the bet _this time?" she asked. _

"_Sokka challenged Kat to act like a Fire Lady for a whole day." Zuko explained._

"_And how is Miss Sugar Queen doing so far?" Toph queried._

"_She's certainly pulling it off." the Fire Lord replied. At that moment, Sokka came walking back with two glasses of water._

"_Thank you, Sokka." I said, before grabbing the two glasses. I handed one to Zuko, who gladly took it, and began to drink mine. It was refreshing. _

"_Sokka, you know what happens when you do challenges with your sister." Suki said._

"_Yes, but she was driving me crazy, just slouching around on the couch." Sokka replied. "Besides, she can't handle a whole day going like that."_

"_That's what you said about the last challenge, and then look what happened." his girlfriend replied. I thought back to what my brother had challenged: he challenged me to go without sleeping for a whole 48 hours. I accepted the challenge, and watched a marathon of model shows all night. I was tired during the day, especially at the meeting, but I made it through, winning the challenge._

"_Miss Suki, would you mind making some dinner for us?" I asked._

"_Hey! You can't boss my girlfriend around!" Sokka shouted._

"_Yes I can. Fire Ladies can boss her servants and friends around if she wants to." I sated, smiling._

_Sokka frowned. "Alright. You win! I admit it. You don't have to go for a whole day. I've seen enough." _

_I smiled, knowing I had won once again. Zuko walked up and wrapped his arms around my chest, like he did every time I won a challenge. I smiled. Suki began walking to the kitchen, still doing the task I asked. _

"_Suki, wait!" I called. "You don't have to make dinner. I'll make it. You go out and have fun with Toph."_

"_Really?" the Kyoshi Warrior said, surprised._

"_Really. Go have fun. You deserve a break." I remarked._

"_Thanks, Katara." she stopped and curtsied. "Fire Lady Katara." _

"_As long as you are my friend, you can just call me Katara." I said, resting my hand on her shoulder comfortingly. She smiled and walked back over to the group. I turned around and walked into the kitchen to do my daily duties. Being a proper Fire Lady was a little hard, but just being me was what everybody liked. _


	10. Chapter 10 - Affliction

**A/N: I wrote this one starting from after Katara offers to heal Zuko's scar. I couldn't think of anything else Zutara-related that would work….This thing's getting much harder than I expected…Also, I decided to put this chapter in both Zuko's and Katara's perspectives, since they both were afflicted during this scene. **

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything A:TLA. That belongs to Bryan, Mike, and Nickelodeon.

Zuko reluctantly allowed Katara to heal his scar. When she touched it, his heart began to flutter. No one except himself had ever touched his scar before. He thought she would quickly back away, but instead she just stood there. Before she could heal it, a crash sounded. The Avatar and his uncle had come to rescue them. Zuko was fairly upset that the two were working together, but he wasn't surprised. When his uncle sent them away to join with their other friends, I was afflicted. Why couldn't she complete her task? But Zuko didn't think that was the main reason why he wanted her to stay. There was something else - something much stronger than just being free of his scar.

I walked away from Zuko, walking with Aang to find Toph and Sokka. I looked back one last time to see him with Iroh. His scarred side of his face was in view. I wished he could have been free of it. It felt cold, and his whole perspective from other people was based on that. If he was free of it, what would happen? Would he be the changed man he wanted to be, with or without his scar? I felt afflicted Not wanting to see anymore, I turned back around to walk with Aang.

**I know, I know. It's short, but it's better than nothing. I'm finally caught up with everyone else who's doing Zutara month…Please, don't forget to R&R!**


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